


Favours

by celeste9



Series: Promise [31]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Babysitting, Domestic, Family, Kid Fic, M/M, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-14
Updated: 2012-09-14
Packaged: 2017-11-14 04:59:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/511567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Luckily for you, you have an amazing boyfriend who can entertain your son all by himself so you can work <i>and</i> sleep."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Favours

It started with a frantic phone call from his ex-wife.

“Can you watch him, James, please?” Agatha was saying. She had been going on like this for what seemed an age, but James knew that it was usually best to let her talk herself out. “I feel awful for springing it on you last minute but there’s really no one else and it would be such a favour to me. If you can’t, I suppose I’ll have to cancel…”

Seizing upon the opportunity to finally get a word in, James said, “It’s fine, Agatha. I can watch him.”

“You can? Oh, you’re a lifesaver. Thank you, really. I’ll bring him by in an hour. That’s all right, isn’t it? You’ll be home?”

He would be now. “Yes, I’ll be home. See you soon.” He hung up and then phoned Becker, shutting down his laptop and gathering up his work as he listened to the phone ring.

“Hello, darling,” Becker drawled on the other end. “Something I can help you with?”

“Change of plans. How do you feel about heading home early and doing a bit of baby-sitting?”

“Baby-sitting? Are the kids coming over? I thought we were going to Agatha’s tomorrow.”

“We are, but the sitter came down with the flu and Agatha needed someone to look after David while she’s out this evening. Do you mind terribly?”

“No, of course not.”

“Excellent,” James said as he snapped his briefcase closed. “Are you in your office? Shall I meet you there?”

“No need, sweetie, I’m outside yours now,” Becker said and disconnected.

James looked up to see Becker through the glass. He set down the phone as Becker sauntered in. “I’ll assume then you have no objections to leaving now?”

“I’m ready when you are. But James, I thought you had been planning on staying late because you had so much to do?”

“I was, and I do. I suppose I’ll have to stay up after David’s gone to bed, or perhaps I can set my alarm early… Hmm, possibly both.” Bugger, he really had a lot to do. The weekend was going to be a wash what with going to Agatha’s and he couldn’t possibly get out of it. Henry had a rugby tournament and James had promised to go. He had broken enough promises to Henry.

“Luckily for you,” Becker said, stepping in front of James, a small smile on his face, “you have an amazing boyfriend who can entertain your son all by himself so you can work _and_ sleep.”

“You would do that?”

“Absolutely. And I know David won’t mind, he thinks I’m cool.”

“Yes, he seems to have inherited my appalling taste,” James said and leaned forward to plant a swift kiss on Becker’s lips. “Thank you.”

Becker’s smile had widened. “You’re very welcome. Now let’s go.”

-

“Damn,” James said as he stepped through the door to their flat only to have Sid and Nancy run up to him, cooing. “I forgot about these devils and it’s too late to get Connor before Agatha gets here.”

“Well, David was going to find out about them eventually, wasn’t he?” Becker said in his sensible, ‘you should really listen to me’ tone of voice. “He’s known about what we do for ages and he’s sure to be thrilled by the idea of you keeping prehistoric creatures as pets. I don’t see the need for all the secrecy any more.”

“Why must you be so reasonable?”

“Sorry if I’ve spoiled your pity party, James,” Becker said as he took his boots off, not sounding sorry in the least.

While he waited for Agatha to arrive, James changed out of his suit and did a last-minute check of David’s bedroom. Sometimes he questioned why he made such an effort to ensure it was tidy when David was only going to wreck it - the flat generally looked like it had been run through by a stampede after David’s visits.

Agatha was right on time, the doorbell buzzing almost exactly an hour after they’d finished their call. “Becker, can you…” James began, glancing at Sid and Nancy, but then abandoned his thought as the two diictodons scurried up to the door. “Never mind. It’s hopeless.”

“James, hello!” Agatha pushed David’s bag at James and then squealed as Nancy nosed at her ankle. “Oh my God, what is _that?”_

“Brilliant!” David exclaimed, crouching down to get a better view of the diictodons, holding out his hand for them to sniff. “Daddy, are you keeping dinosaurs here?”

James passed the bag along to Becker and shrugged apologetically at Agatha. “They got caught on the wrong side of an anomaly and I’ve been keeping them here.”

“There’s no need to hide behind your job as an excuse for getting pets,” Agatha said.

Becker laughed and James accidentally stepped back onto his toes. In retaliation, Becker pinched James’ arse, making him jump a little. He turned his head to glare, but Becker was wearing his most innocent expression.

“Now, boys, behave,” Agatha said, laughter dancing in her eyes. “But James, are they safe?” She gave Sid and Nancy a wary look as they nipped David’s fingers.

“Yes, they’re quite safe. They’re a couple of pests, but there’s no need to worry.”

“Well, all right, I’ll take your word for it. Thank you again, James, you’ve no idea how much I appreciate this. And you as well, Hilary. I do hope I’ve not wrecked your evening.”

“Not at all, now at least I’ll have some company while James is working,” Becker reassured her. “You look gorgeous, by the way, Agatha.”

She blushed a little and patted her hair. “Thank you, darling, it’s sweet of you to say so.”

James tried very hard not to roll his eyes. Becker could make an old woman blush and giggle like a schoolgirl with a few nice words and a look.

“I’d better run, though, before I’m late. David, be good for your father, I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Agatha rushed out, leaving a faint hint of the scent of flowers in her wake.

“Mum’s got a date,” David informed them nonchalantly.

James opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. He swallowed and tried again. “What? I was under the impression she was meeting an old friend.”

“Yeah, a friend who’s a guy, and he’s not that old. For a date. His name’s Peter.”

“Peter?” James repeated stupidly.

Becker kneaded his shoulders. “You didn’t think she was dressed like that for an old friend, did you, sweetie?”

“I hate it when you patronise me,” James muttered and drew away. David was looking between them curiously and James changed the subject. “I believe it’s time for dinner, don’t you think, David? Want to give me a hand?”

“Sure,” David agreed and he and Becker followed James into the kitchen.

He set David to peeling potatoes and said, “I’m afraid I’m a little busy this weekend, David. What do you think about spending the evening with Becker while I get some work done?” James felt a sudden stab of worry that David would think he was being pushed aside, that James cared more about his work.

But all that turned out to be unfounded, as David seemed pleased by the idea of spending time with Becker. “Really?” He looked at James and then Becker. “Will you tell me stories? About being a soldier, I mean?”

“If you like,” Becker said.

“You don’t--” James started to say but stopped at a sharp jerk of Becker’s head. Well, if Becker wasn’t bothered then he wasn’t going to be.

“I brought Doctor Who, too. Maybe we could watch it?” David asked.

“Whatever you want,” Becker said obligingly and James was sure that he was going to agree to anything David asked. “I haven’t watched any in forever and I’ve never seen the new series, so you might have to fill me in first.”

“Oh, Christ,” James said under his breath. Now David was going to chatter on about Doctor Who all through dinner.

David was giving Becker the special disgusted look he gave everyone who admitted to not knowing much about Doctor Who, but then he launched into an explanation as James had known he would. By the time the evening was over, Becker was going to know far more than he had ever wanted to.

-

Becker followed James into the study after dinner. “James, if I ask you something, will you give me an honest answer?”

“When am I ever not honest with you, precious?”

Becker arched an eyebrow. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

James moved forward and put his hands on Becker’s slim hips. “I promise to try to be honest.”

“That’s better than nothing, I suppose,” Becker muttered. “All I want to know is, are you okay with Agatha being on a date? Because you seemed bothered and I know it must be hard for you.”

James took a moment to sort his thoughts. His immediate response was that of course he wasn’t bothered, he and Agatha had been divorced for years and he happened to be quite satisfied with the current status of his love life. But his feelings were rather more complex than that, if he actually thought about it. Agatha had been his wife, the most important person in his life at one time, and that didn’t just go away.

But he wasn’t going to begrudge her finding her own happiness, particularly not when he had found his own. “I’m fine with it, Hils, honestly. I suppose I was more surprised than anything. I’m aware that she’s seen other men but I don’t normally have it thrown in my face like that. Really, it would be terribly hypocritical of me to be upset.”

Becker was shifting his weight and fidgeting, his gaze directed more at James’ clothes than James himself. “All right, if you’re sure. Because you can talk to me, you know. You can tell me if you’re upset.”

There was something in Becker’s face and his body language that made James ask, “Are _you_ bothered?”

“Me? Why would I be bothered?”

“You tell me.”

“Oh, bugger.” Becker ran a hand over his scalp, his hair ruffling slightly before falling back into place. “Because I’m irrationally jealous?”

James tried not to frown. That was a response he hadn’t been expecting. “Jealous? Of what?”

“Of her, obviously. Because maybe you still have feelings for her? I told you it was irrational. I know I’m being daft, you don’t have to tell me.”

“You’re being extremely daft, sweetheart. I don’t love her any more, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s only that… She was important to me and it’s a little bit weird to be confronted with such direct evidence of her moving on. But I’ve moved on, too, and I don’t want anyone else but you.” James felt his skin heat up because that was a rather more intense declaration than he had been meaning to make, but he couldn’t exactly take it back now. “Go on, then,” he said, as if by ignoring it and brushing past it they could pretend he hadn’t said it. “I have work to do and David has a problem with patience.”

Becker’s mouth was set in that little smile that meant he was trying not to smirk. He bent forward to give James a kiss, hard and fast. “Okay. I don’t want anyone but you either, honey.”

James stood staring after him as he walked away, watching the shifting of his hips until he turned the corner, and then redirected his gaze to the work on the desk. Damn it, it wasn’t fair. His lover and his son were going to get to spend a carefree evening doing what they wanted while James had to shut himself up in the study and actually work. Sometimes he hated his life.

-

“Two.”

David glanced up from where he was playing with Sid to give Becker an incredulous stare. “Two? Are you serious? Half his stories are burned anyway.”

“Yes and that’s a tragedy. Come on, you’ve got to admit he was good,” Becker wheedled. David was such a great kid, it would be so disappointing if he couldn’t appreciate the merits of the oldest Doctors.

“I guess he was pretty funny.”

“Exactly! That’s the best thing about him, how he seemed so silly and bumbling but really he was only letting everyone think that about him, so they would underestimate him because actually he was ten steps ahead of everyone else.” Becker appreciated that sort of strategic thinking in a man.

David’s demeanor had turned suspicious. “You know a lot about it. Earlier you acted like you didn’t know anything.”

“I suppose I didn’t want your dad to find out that I’m secretly a great big nerd,” Becker admitted, feeling rather self-conscious. He had an image to maintain, after all - he couldn’t let it get out that he might have an appreciation for some of the same things Connor did.

“That’s dumb.”

“Probably, but we’ll see how you start behaving when you’ve got a girlfriend you want to impress. Er, many, many years from now.”

Oh God, David could do the eyebrow raise, too. It was uncanny and a little bit scary.

“Anyway, you know what we’ll do? The next time you’re here I’ll get Two’s DVDs and we’ll watch them together. If you don’t have a better appreciation for him by the end, I’ll... Well, you think of something, okay? Deal?” Becker held out his hand to shake.

David took it. “Deal.”

Becker was looking forward to it, honestly, despite the fact he would surely end up outing himself to Lester. Happily, Patrick Troughton came with a lovely list of things to look forward to beyond the appeal of the Doctor himself: Victoria’s little dress, Zoe’s cat suit, and best of all, Jamie’s kilt. Becker had so much more love for Jamie’s kilt now than he had growing up.

That was probably another thing he should try to keep from Lester. The mockery would be endless.

“Have you got any popcorn here?” David asked.

“I’ve no idea. Maybe. Let’s find out, shall we?”

Inside the kitchen, Becker started to rummage through the pantry and the cabinets. Everything was sorted the way Lester wanted (Becker had never quite dared to change anything) and Becker still occasionally had trouble locating the items he didn’t use much. Lester claimed his organisation was perfectly logical to anyone with a brain but Becker sometimes had his doubts about that.

He pulled out a bag of crisps. “I think that’s a no on the popcorn, but there’s crisps?”

“Good enough,” David said and took the bag.

Becker’s eye fell on the kettle and he thought of Lester. He took it over to the sink and filled it, thinking that he would even take the effort to forgo the tea bags and use the leaves. “Would you mind waiting while I make some tea for your dad?”

“No, that’s fine,” David said around a mouthful of crisps. “It’s probably good he has you around to remember things for him.”

“I think so,” Becker agreed. David surprised him sometimes with the number of things he noticed. He was bright.

“I guess I shouldn’t have mentioned Mum’s boyfriend earlier. Was Daddy upset?”

Becker glanced at David as he dumped tea leaves into the teapot. “Not really.”

“That’s good. I mean, I don’t know why he should care, he’s got you. Right?”

“Right,” Becker said, wishing it was actually that simple. Not that he was worried - he highly doubted he needed to be concerned about Lester dumping him for his ex.

“Peter’s not as cool as you, anyway,” David added.

It was probably petty how pleased Becker was by that. “Um, hey, David. Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“No.”

“Well, I… We don’t get to spend much time together, just the two of us, so I thought maybe we could talk about something.”

David just stared at him, eating his crisps, his expression forcibly reminding Becker of Lester. _Get on with it,_ _idiot,_ is what Lester would have been thinking, but Becker hoped David was omitting the ‘idiot’.

“We get along pretty well, don’t we?”

“Sure.”

“So you don’t mind if I keep seeing your dad? Because you know I love him, don’t you? I… I really, really do.” That particular pronouncement was so much easier to make to David than it would have been to either of the twins.

David seemed utterly unconcerned to hear it, as if it was only to be expected. “Like you want to get married? Can you even do that?”

Becker felt a bit gobsmacked, or maybe like he’d taken a punch to the stomach. “Oh, well, I don’t…” He decided to tackle David’s second question, which was by far the easier of the two. “In England two men can have what’s called a civil partnership; it’s not exactly marriage, but close enough.”

“Is that what you want? You and Daddy?”

Why had he ever thought David would let him get away with avoiding answering? “I might. Not… not now, but maybe someday.” Maybe soon, if Becker could ever get his head straightened out. He knew that he wanted Lester to be his, but beyond that, it was all a bit complicated.

“Cool,” David said, like Becker had told him about a dinosaur or something rather than the fact that he probably wanted to marry David’s father.

The kettle whistled and Becker gratefully latched onto the distraction, pouring the water into the teapot to let it steep.

“Hils,” David said.

“Yes?”

“I like it better now that you’re around. You’re fun and… Daddy’s happier now, more than he used to be. Julia thinks so, I know she told you, and I think so, too.”

Becker jerked a nod and poured out the tea into a cup, his hand shaking slightly. Oh, fuck. Fuck, he was so completely… The Lesters _owned_ him. All of them.

Automatically he stirred a splash of milk into the tea. Lester always took his tea the same way he did his coffee, no sugar and a bit of milk. He put a couple of biscuits onto a plate, catching the way David was looking at him, and then handed the box over. Lester would doubtless be thrilled at the way Becker was feeding his son junk. Holding the tea in one hand and the biscuits in the other, he said, “I’ll bring this to your dad and you go and get your DVDs, okay?”

“All right,” David said and hurried out of the kitchen.

Becker left at a more sedate pace, not wanting to spill the tea. He carefully transferred everything to one hand so he could knock on the door to the study before pushing it open.

Lester looked up from his laptop, surprise on his face. “Problem?”

“No, nothing like that.” Becker held up the cup. “I thought you might like some tea.”

“Thanks, love,” Lester said, accepting the cup gratefully and taking a sip. “You made me proper tea?”

“Of course I did. What sort of a boyfriend do you take me for?’

Lester’s mouth twitched but he said only, “I hope David is behaving himself.”

“Perfectly,” Becker assured him, setting the plate on the desk. “And don’t worry, I’ve kept my stories as blood-free as possible.” Despite the fact that David, like most boys his age, was incredibly interested in gory details. “We’re about to start watching Doctor Who.”

“Better not keep him waiting then.”

Becker dropped a kiss on Lester’s head. “I can take a hint. Try not to work too hard.” He was almost to the door before Lester stopped him.

“Hils.”

“James?”

Lester waved his hand in the air. “Thank you. For…”

“For the tea.”

“Right. The tea.”

Becker smiled at him, knowing full well that wasn’t what Lester had meant. “My pleasure.”

And it actually was. A couple of years ago Becker likely would have been appalled by the idea that he would happily spend a Friday evening baby-sitting a nine-year-old, but things were different now. Becker liked David but more than that, he liked knowing that Lester wanted to let him into that part of his life, that he trusted Becker with his kids. It felt like a very long time ago now that Becker had noticed the photos in Lester’s flat and had had to ask about them before Lester would even admit to Becker that he had children.

He went back out to the living room where David already had Doctor Who set up and ready to go, taking a seat next to David on the couch. “All set?”

David nodded eagerly. “How many episodes can we watch?”

“As many as we can fit in before your bedtime.”

“Come on, you’re going to let me stay up, aren’t you? Daddy won’t even notice, he’ll be too busy working.”

“That wouldn’t be very responsible of me, would it?”

“Please, Hils?”

_Damn it, don’t look at him, Becker._ Christ, those puppy eyes were impossible to resist. “We’ll see,” Becker said reluctantly. Bugger, he would make a terrible parent.

-

James must have lost track of time because when he thought to look at the clock, it was way past time for David to be in bed. He cursed under his breath and wondered whether Becker hadn’t realised or whether he had let David bully him. He was inclined to think it was the latter - Becker liked to say that James was a pushover when it came to David but he wasn’t any better.

If you asked James, Becker was worse.

He straightened up the desk and shut down the laptop, pleased at the progress he’d made. At some point he was going to have to make his gratitude clear to Becker.

James stepped out of the study and into the hall, heading toward the living room. He didn’t hear any noise except for the sound of the television as he approached, which wasn’t all that odd considering David hated it when people talked while he was watching something. But as he came closer, he realised that they weren’t just being quiet.

They were asleep on the couch, David having fallen over sideways until he was half-sprawled against Becker’s chest, with Becker’s chin tilted down onto the top of David’s head. James almost laughed out loud because they looked so completely ridiculous. He glanced at the TV long enough to register a young man in a bow tie running about - the Doctor, he amended - and then picked up the remote, stopping the DVD.

Rather sentimentally James thought that he wouldn’t mind having a picture of the two of them, something to keep at work. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, was there? He could keep it in a drawer and no one would even know he had it, as long as he erased the image from Becker’s camera before Becker could see it.

So he retrieved the camera from the bedroom, snapped the picture, and set it aside before touching Becker’s shoulder to wake him up. “Hils,” he said very quietly so as not to startle him. Startling Becker awake was never a good idea, as James had discovered early on in their relationship.

Becker came alert all at once, as he tended to do. He could fall asleep anywhere and he always woke with just the slightest provocation, shaking off the effects like a snake shedding its skin. “I fell asleep?”

“Yes,” James said, allowing himself a moment of indulgence as he brushed his fingers through the edges of Becker’s hair. “I’d better get David off to bed.” He slipped his arms around his son to pick him up, holding him close to his chest. David mumbled something sleepily but didn’t wake, his head lolling against James’ neck. James shifted his grip. “Damn, I always forget how heavy he is. He’s growing so fast.”

Becker had stood up, stretching his arms above his head, the hem of his shirt riding up to expose a sliver of skin. “Kids tend to do that. Grow up.”

That snide comment deserved at least an appropriately withering look, but James’ mind insisted on fixing on the implications of what Becker had said. David was growing up and soon he would be too big to be held, and too big for a lot more than that. He would outgrow the simple affection he had for his father, just like the twins had. David would no longer want to be read to or look forward to spending an evening watching TV with James. No more freely offered hugs or casually shared confidences.

James had unwittingly tightened his hold on his son and sometime while he was lost in thought, Becker had put an arm around him. “Just because they grow up doesn’t mean they love you any less. They just have a harder time showing it.”

A warm sense of gratitude welled up in James but he didn’t know what to do about it. So he gave Becker a tight smile and started walking towards David’s bedroom.

He drew back the covers and deposited David into the bed. Sitting for a moment on the edge, James stroked the hair back from David’s face and then kissed his forehead before getting up.

Becker had one shoulder pressed against the doorframe, his expression open and uncomplicatedly fond. James switched off the light and then nudged Becker fully into the corridor so he could close the door.

“I love watching you with him,” Becker said quietly.

Well, that was funny, because James loved watching Beckerwith David. “Sweetheart, you’ve become so domestic.”

“I haven’t!”

James put his hands on Becker’s hips and walked him slowly back down the corridor towards their own bedroom. “Whatever you say.”

Becker frowned at him suspiciously. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?”

“No,” James said as Becker’s back hit the doorframe. He rubbed himself up against Becker’s body, slipping his leg between Becker’s thighs, and leaned up to kiss Becker’s mouth. Becker melted into him with a sigh, opening his mouth and letting James take the lead. James rocked his hips forward and didn’t let Becker go until he was nearly dizzy for breath.

He tipped his head forward against Becker’s neck. “There. Was that good enough for you?”

A quiet laugh rumbled in Becker’s chest and he nudged James back so they could see each other properly. “I must have done something good to earn that. Was that just because of the baby-sitting? Because, not that I would ever turn down a snog and certainly not one like that, you know I like David. I’m happy to spend time with him.”

James tugged at a few strands of Becker’s hair. “It wasn’t only for that. It was for… You’re vaguely irritating and bumbling most of the time, but every now and again, you say exactly the right thing.”

A tiny crease appeared between Becker’s eyebrows and then vanished as he apparently worked it out. “Positive reinforcement like this can only motivate me to try to do it more often.”

James lifted his chin. “I’ve only just begun.”

Eyes widening as he caught James’ meaning, Becker said, “You mean…? But David…”

“David sleeps like the dead. He won’t wake.”

Becker’s face split into a smile, a dirty sort of smile that was full of promise. “Well, come on then, gorgeous, show me exactly how grateful you are.” He yanked James the rest of the way into the bedroom and then kicked the door shut.

It turned out that James was very, _very_ grateful.

**_End_ **


End file.
